8 Things You Need to Know About Disney’s Live-Action Moana Remake

If you feel like saying “You’re Welcome” to anyone today, perhaps you should say it to Dwayne Johnson, as he and the Walt Disney Company have announced that the fan-favorite Polynesian animated fantasy-adventure Moana would be getting the media conglomerate’s live-action remake treatment.

For over one hundred years, the Walt Disney Company has been entertaining audiences of all ages with its growing library of animated classics. Be it beloved shorts like Steamboat Willie or revolutionary features like Snow White, the company reigns supreme as not just the biggest name in animation but also the largest media conglomerate on the planet. So many all-time classics have been released by Walt Disney Animation every decade since its inception, including:

• Bambi
• Peter Pan
• The Jungle Book
• Robin Hood
• The Fox and the Hound
• The Lion King
• Treasure Planet
• Zootopia
• Encanto
• And many more

Among the most popular and iconic of Disney’s vast repertoire are the Disney princess films, with the female protagonists being the stars of some of the most legendary films ever made. Starting with Snow White, this exclusive collection includes Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave, and Frozen, but there’s also one more entry that’s somewhat contentious, as the main protagonist insists she’s not a princess.

Despite the titular character’s wishes, Moana is almost universally considered to be a Disney princess film, and one of the best at that. The gorgeously animated film follows young aspiring voyager Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) as she sets sail across the Polynesian seas to save her village from an encroaching threat. On her quest, Moana meets the vainglorious and self-centered Maui (Dwayne Johnson) – the legendary shapeshifting demigod who reluctantly agrees to help Moana find the missing “Heart of Te Fiti”. Long-time Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker successfully delivered an immensely satisfying feature film that entertained audiences as well as critical acclaim, even getting nominated for two Academy Awards.

In addition to continuing to deliver quality animated content, Disney has also found quite a bit of success in remaking those very same films. 2023 in particular was a packed year for those films, with both Peter Pan & Wendy and The Little Mermaid bringing their respective classics to life. There’s several other live-action remakes that are also in the works, such as the similarly tropical Lilo & Stitch and the early Disney classic Bambi. In a very big surprise, Disney and Dwayne Johnson were pleased to announce that a live-action remake of the hit film Moana is in development, with much of the cast and crew from the original film returning to ensure an accurate portrayal of the modern classic. To learn more about the upcoming remake’s announcement, cast, and plot details, here is everything we know so far about Disney’s live-action Moana remake.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on June 12, 2024.

8 Does the Live-Action Moana Remake Have a Release Date?

As Johnson said, the Moana remake is still in very early development, and the film was scheduled to sail into theaters on June 27, 2025. However, it was delayed over an entire year and will now be released on July 10, 2026, which will be over a year and a half after Moana 2 releases into theaters.

7 Is the Live-Action Moana Remake Coming to Theaters or Streaming?

No plans were made explicitly clear during the project’s announcement on whether the film would premiere in theaters or on streaming via Disney+. Some of Disney’s live-action projects have set their exclusive home on the streaming service, like Peter Pan & Wendy. However, with huge star power like Dwayne Johnson involved and the predictably big budget it’s going to have, the live-action Moana will likely follow in the footsteps of the equally aquatic The Little Mermaid remake and get a theatrical release.

6 Watch the Announcement Video for Disney’s Live-Action Moana Remake

On April 3, 2023, Disney and Dwayne Johnson officially confirmed that a Moana remake is in development via the above announcement video. The surprisingly personal and emotional video sees Johnson and his two daughters on a beach located in beautiful Oahu, Hawaii—the island where Dwayne Johnson grew up. As his daughters play in the sand, Johnson makes it known that a “live-action reimagining” of his modern classic Moana is “in the works” at Disney. Johnson not only promises that the new adaptation of the film will feature all the characters, songs, and visuals fans have come to love about the film but also confirms that he will be reprising the character of Maui himself.

Johnson goes on to describe how important Moana as a film and Maui as a character are to him, citing that a massive inspiration for the demigod was Johnson’s own grandfather, Samoan wrestler High Chief Peter Maivia. Johnson also cites the project is still in early development, but we do get to see a brief glimpse of what’s in store as his daughters grab him a real-life massive fishing hook, a life-size replica of the one that Maui uses in the original film. As the camera pans out, Dwayne Johnson spends the rest of the beautiful day with his daughters, who still don’t seem to believe that their dad is the voice of their favorite cartoon character.

5 What’s the Plot of the Live-Action Moana Remake (And Is it Different From the Animated Movie)?

The plot of the upcoming live-action version of Moana is expected to stick to the original source material largely, and the description given alongside the announcement video seems to confirm this:

Like its animated predecessor, the film will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path. Moana’s journey of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her ancestors won hearts worldwide, as did her newfound friendship with an exiled demigod named Maui.

4 Who’s Making the Live-Action Moana Remake?

In the director’s chair is none other than Thomas Kail. Best known for his work on Hamilton, Kail will be making his theatrical debut with the Disney blockbuster. In addition to reprising the role of Maui, Dwayne Johnson will also be executive producing the film. He’s set to do this via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, alongside co-producers Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. Dwayne Johnson also isn’t the only star from the original who will be producing, as Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, will also be executive producing. Also set to ensure the new adaptation stays true to the original is producer Jared Bush, who wrote the original 2016 film and co-directed 2021’s Encanto.

Thomas Kail further describes his excitement for the live-action Moana remake in the following statement (while also sneakily confirming that the original’s lovable chicken companion will also be joining the remake):

“I am thrilled to have met Catherine, Rena, Frankie and John through this casting process. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I cannot wait to all be on set together. And there’s no better pair to be in a canoe with than Catherine and Dwayne—actually, trio: Heihei is ready, too.”

3 Who’s In the Cast of Disney’s Live-Action Moana Remake?

As mentioned above, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be returning to play the legendary Maui. The world-famous wrestler-turned-actor has become one of the biggest stars on the planet, starring in huge films like Fast Five (2011), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), and even Disney’s own Jungle Cruise (2021). The character of Maui is clearly very important to Johnson, who said this following the film’s announcement:

I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live action big screen. This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me. I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people.

The Rock has gone on record and said that they’d found the live-action Moana, saying to ET:

One of the exciting things about that was actually finding our Moana and how exciting that has been,The global search to find our Moana — which — between you and I, we found her — not gonna tell you yet. [It’s] very exciting.

On June 12th, 2024, Disney finally revealed who will be playing the live-action version of Moana, and it’s not original star Auli’i Cravalho (though she is still attached to the film as a producer). Disney confirmed that the role of Moana will be the feature film debut of Catherine Laga’aia, who previously starred in the television series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. A native of Sydney Australia, Laga’aia expressed her excitement about playing the role and hopes to provide some meaningful representation of her Samoan and Pacific Islander heritage:

“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites. My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.”

Following the announcement of Laga’aia’s casting, Disney also revealed who will be playing Moana’s various family members. Moana’s overproductive father, Chief Tui, will be played by Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw star John Tui, who coincidentally also voices a video game character that has been regularly compared to Maui from Moana – Mauga from Overwatch 2. Playing Moana’s loving mother, Sina, is Next Goal Wins star Frankie Adams, who has worked with Catherine Laga’aia before during their time on The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. Finally, Star Wars: The Bad Batch and The Orville star Rena Owen will be playing Moana’s eccentric-yet-wise grandmother, Gramma Tala, who plays a key role in Moana’s journey to save her island.

2 Is the Original Moana Available to Stream on Disney+?

In case you want to see this epic story unfold in the original animation, Moana (2016) is thankfully available to stream in its entirety on Disney+. Watch it by clicking on the button below:

1 What’s Next for the ‘Moana’ Franchise?

Despite being announced after the live-action remake, the surprise sequel to the animated Moana, Moana 2, will be released well over a year before the upcoming reimagining. Though it was originally being planned as a television show for Disney+, Disney has now restructured the series into a proper canonical sequel to the original classic. The new animated film will see Moana continuing her voyaging adventures and reuniting with her best demi-god friend Maui. The film is set to officially sail into theaters on November 27th, 2024, opening the exact same day as the long-awaited adaptation of the Tony-winning stage show, Wicked. The official plot synopsis for Moana 2 reads as follows:

“After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced.”